Letters To Papa - A Tomoyo After Fanfic
by EisenKoubu
Summary: WARNING: This is a fanfiction of Tomoyo After, the fandisc for the CLANNAD visual novel. There are spoilers for the game in this fanfiction. Since a Tomoyo After section doesn't exist on this site, this is where this story goes for now. Tomo is boding quite well in her new home, but she's worried about her Papa. What can she do? Time for some letter writing!
1. September 20th

To Papa

~~~~~~~~~ ← (Supposed to be the address; Tomo-chan can't write complicated numbers and words yet~ :P)  
~~~~~~~~~

Papa, it's me, Tomo! I wanted to say that I'm doing fine. Mama told me to write to you when she came by to visit, so I'm doing that now.

I heard you fell down and had to go to the hospital. Mama looked very unhappy about it, and I didn't feel good either. My real Mama told me that everything would be fine, but I was still scared. I couldn't sleep without wondering what would happen to Papa.

Please, Papa...get well soon.

* * *

Hello, everyone! EisenKoubu here. I don't usually write chapters this small, but there are a couple reasons why I wanted to write something like this.

First, my good friend Aspirety of Kazamatsuri/Rokkenjima fame is rallying us up to create fanart of Tomoyo After, which Kazamatsuri is hosting a Bookclub for at the time of this writing. I've written for them in past Bookclubs, and I figured I should contribute. The problem is that we have ten days to write something, and the initial idea I had was too big for that span of time.

Second, I always wanted to write a story in the form of journal entries. While my first attempt (a series of entries based on a certain NPC's journey in Wild ARMs 3) didn't go so well, I thought I would try it again here. We don't really know what happens to Tomo in the three years before After Arc starts, so I wanted to flesh that out somewhat here.

Tomo has more letters coming, so please be patient. These won't be very long reads, and I'll be making them as long as the Bookclub is still a thing, so please look forward to it! ^_^


	2. September 27th

To Papa

(~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~)

Papa, it's me, Tomo! I'm still doing fine, although it feels lonely without you and Mama sometimes. The people in the village are helping me write this letter, so don't worry about me.

Mama came by again yesterday, and she looked very sad. I asked her what was wrong. She didn't answer. I wanted to know why she was sad, so I helped around while she stayed. I helped make dinner for her every day, and she liked it.

Eventually Mama told me. Papa didn't know who she was. He didn't know who Onii-chan or Onee-chan were, and he wouldn't get better. Both of us cried until we fell asleep.

I didn't get to go to school that day, because I got sick. Mama couldn't stay, so the villagers agreed to take care of me. I wanted Papa to come back. I knew he could make me better, just like he made all the villagers feel better.

Please, Papa...get well soon.

* * *

Hello, everyone! EisenKoubu again. I had to double-check what Tomo called Takafumi and Kanako in the game before posting this, because it's not a detail I usually remember... ^^;

At any rate, I'm using these first two letters to help set up the situation before something more original happens. Writing a letter every week for the space of three years is a massive task, especially for a kid like Tomo. But she will have lots of fun and interesting experiences in her village, you can be sure of that.

Please look forward to the next letter! ^_^


	3. October 4th

To Papa

XX ~~~~~~~

~~~~~ XX-XXX

Papa, it's me, Tomo! Today's my birthday, so I decided to write another letter for you. I got better at writing numbers, see?

Mama didn't come by today, but the friendly bear did! He did some funny stuff like handstands and hand tricks. Onee-chan came by too, and she played with me until we both got tired. Then we had cake. It tasted great!

Onee-chan told me that I needed to make a wish when I blew out the candles. I thought about my wish for a while. I knew that I wanted Papa and Mama to come back. I wanted to have fun together again.

I blew out the candles, but Onee-chan told me never to tell what my wish was. I wrote it down here, so Onee-chan might get angry with me. But I know she won't. She's too nice to everyone.

Please, Papa...get well soon.

* * *

EisenKoubu here. Here's a letter that might be controversial. Allow me to explain:

Tomo's birthday has never been officially stated in-game or by VisualArt's/Key themselves. Neither has her voice actress', which isn't too uncommon given that she exclusively works in eroge and prefers to keep her personal info secret. After coming out fruitless in my research, I decided on this date as her birthday for the sake of having a birthday letter.

If Tomo's birthday is ever 'officially' announced, I'll likely change the date on this letter. Such a topic does make me wonder what Tomo's birthday would be like. I imagine it would be like any six-year-old's birthday party (that is, assuming she _is_ six), full of childish playtime and messy cake and bunches of toys, wearing out the adults in the room. I say that having never been to a six-year-old's birthday party in the past eight years, but hey, maybe things have somehow changed since my youngest sibling was six. Who knows? ^^

Next letter will be out soon! Thanks for reading so far! :)


	4. October 11th

To Papa

XX ~~~~~~~

~~~~~ XX-XXX

Papa, it's me, Tomo! Mama told me you read my last letter, and that made me very happy. So I decided to write another letter.

I started first grade many days ago. I feel so excited to learn new stuff. The village is all happy about it, but Sensei especially. I love her as a teacher. There is no one in my class, so it is kind of lonely. But Sensei and the people at the village are kind.

Mama visits me more often now, and she's very happy around me. She cries at night sometimes, so I snuggle with her until we both fall asleep.

Onii-chan and Onee-chan told me they would be leaving for a while. They are also going back to school soon, and they seem excited. It makes me happy to see everyone going back to school, but it is kind of lonely.

Please, Papa...get well soon.

* * *

Hello again. EisenKoubu here. Not much going on in this letter, but it is pretty school-themed, isn't it? I'm kind of worried this is going to turn into something like Non Non Biyori, which shares some similarities in setting. Not that NNB is bad (in fact, it's one of my favorite slice-of-life anime), but that's not what I'm aiming for. Tomo is her own individual, and writing for several child characters is a monumental task for someone like me. Especially since I don't work with kids (yet). :P

Anyway, thank you for reading these letters so far! The rain will clear up next week, and a new letter will be delivered to Tomo's Papa, so please be patient. :)


	5. October 18th

To Papa

XX ~~~~~~~  
~~~~~ XX-XXX

Papa, it's me, Tomo! I tried writing this letter on my own, but I can't write big words yet. The caretaker is helping me write this letter.

Mama hasn't come at all this week, and without Onii-chan and Onee-chan I feel sad and lonely. I must have looked really sad, because Sensei noticed it. She asked me what was wrong, and I told her I felt lonely. She smiled, and told me that I still have my real Mama and all the villagers.

From that day on, the villagers started talking to me as I walked to school and back. I talked back, smiling as best I could. These people are so nice, it makes me feel like Mama and Papa are growing to be a distant memory.

My real Mama coughed hard yesterday, and I was worried. Mama started making strange, scary sounds when I was not looking, but she would smile and kiss me when I'm around. I feel afraid for her. I wish Mama and Papa were here. They would know how to fix my real Mama.

Please, Papa...get well soon.

* * *

EisenKoubu here again. Today the new patch for Tomoyo After w/ trading cards and the OST got announced! I'm so happy~ ^^

This is probably the first letter I wrote after writing the first letter after that fatal operation (which you guys won't see for a while). I felt I had time to expand a bit on Tomo's situation, and I love Tomo as a character, so I wanted just a little more substance to this fic. Sure, what you see right now isn't very substantial, but I plan to write a few more letters before the Bookclub ends. I'll likely be posting these long after the Bookclub anyways, so I hope you guys look forward to some more of these! :)


	6. October 25th

To Papa

XX ~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~ XX-XXX

Papa, it's me, Tomo! I would let Caretaker-san write this letter, but I saw something cool that I can't talk about! Can you keep a secret, Papa?

The villagers did something called a 'harvest festival' today. I wanted to see what it was, but my real Mama wasn't feeling good, so I stayed with her after I got home from school. Caretaker-san told me to go on ahead, as did Mama, but I didn't want to leave Mama behind.

I heard a knock on the door soon after, and I opened the door. No one was there, so I looked around to see if anyone had gone by. I was grabbed by a pair of hands which covered my eyes, and a voice told me to be quiet.

The voice asked me if I had seen a wooden starfish, but I shook my head. I asked why she was looking for a starfish, and she told me it was her favorite thing. She looked sad, and I remembered that I had lost some of my favorite things, too. I helped her find her favorite thing, because that's what Papa would do.

We found it in a vegetable patch soon after, and the girl took it and hugged it like I would hug Mama. She thanked me for helping me find her starfish, and patted me on the head. It always feels good to help others.

I asked if she wanted to attend the harvest festival with me, but she told me she had to go to a faraway place. She gave me her starfish and told me I was her friend now. I could call for her if I wanted to play, but she told me never to tell anyone about her. I want Papa to meet this girl and play with us when he gets better, so that's why I'm telling Papa.

Please, Papa...get well soon.

* * *

Hello again! EisenKoubu here. Yes, the starfish girl is Fuko. I will discuss why I put her there later.

First off, I wrote this letter from scratch just now, since I came up with the idea to add Fuko to the story yesterday. This is also the longest letter that I posted so far, which might seem a little unlike Tomo, but I imagine her childlike energy is what drives her to write such a lengthy letter. And she has good teachers, so I assume she can write fairly legibly by this point.

Now, about Fuko. I was thinking about how to progress the story of Tomo living in the village with her mother and the other villagers, but I could not come up with any ideas. I was prepared to skip a few weeks to get the rest of the letters posted, with an in-universe explanation as to why. Then I had a conversation with a good friend of mine about a fanfic idea for Tomoyo After (which I may or may not do at some future point). We discussed a bit about Fuko, and while it didn't click in place immediately, I thought it would be a fun idea to play around with Fuko's character since (theoretically since Tomoya can summon her in Dungeons and Takafumis) she still exists as an ikiryou. It wasn't until I was walking back from class a few hours later that it dawned on me. Fuko was such good friends with Ushio in CLANNAD, so how would she react to Tomo? This was my reason for adding her into this letter.

I know there are some people out there who don't like Fuko, and if you don't, that's fine. This is my story, and I like Fuko's character, so I thought it would be a good idea. Anyway, thanks for reading up to this point! I hope you guys look forward to the next letter~ ^^


	7. November 8th

To Papa

XX ~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~ XX-XXX

Papa, it's me, Tomo! It's raining outside right now, so I can't go out and play. I felt like writing a letter today while inside.

The villagers like sharing vegetables with me whenever I stop by. They say my real Mama needs lots of vegetables to make her feel better. I decided then that I wanted to make Mama something with lots of vegetables for dinner.

I did not know how to cut the vegetables I brought home. I asked Caretaker-san if she could help me, but she was talking to my real Mama. So I tried cutting up the vegetables myself.

When one of the villagers came to make food for us, I had only cut up three vegetables. She was kind enough to teach me how to chop them, and I was soon able to chop all of them. I knew my real Mama was going to be happy.

When she ate it, she started crying. I asked Mama what was wrong, and she said there wasn't anything wrong. It tasted good. So why was she crying? Is this part of her sickness? I did not know.

I did not want to see my real Mama cry again, so I stopped collecting vegetables from the villagers. If only Mama and Papa were here...they would really know how to help my real Mama.

Please, Papa...get well soon.

* * *

EisenKoubu here again. I wrote this before the Fuko letter, so it might be inconsistent with that letter, but closer to the previous letters I wrote. Nothing like getting back to the basics, huh? ^^;

I don't plan to dwell too much on the drama between Tomo and her mother, for the record. I do think it's important to Tomo's growth as a person, which is why I wrote this letter, but not so much that it eclipses everything else. As we know, there's a lot more to Tomo's life than just her mother. Like her teacher said, she's got the entire village. Granted, I also don't want this to turn into Non Non Biyori without 3/4 of the cast... :P

I don't know if the next letter will take place the next week or some weeks later, but please look forward to it all the same. Thank you for reading so far! ^^


	8. November 15th

To Papa

XX ~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~ XX-XXX

Fuko is writing this letter on behalf of Tomo-chan. Please read with respect and reverence.

Papa, it's me, Tomo! (Fuko wonders who this Papa person is and what his relation is to Tomo-chan.) Today I'm getting Fuko-chan to write for me. Aren't friends handy? (This Papa person must be Tomo-chan's friend. Fuko will trust him for now.)

I got to play with Fuko today after school. The villagers were very surprised to see her, and were kind of scared. I tried telling them that Fuko was my friend, but they were still scared. (Fuko disagrees. They were not scared, they were amazed at my starfish powers. How many psychics do you know who have mastered the art of PK Starfish?!) So we played by ourselves again. It feels lonely, but at least Fuko is here.

We played tag in the vegetable garden. Fuko was easy to catch, but Fuko couldn't find me while I was hiding in one of the ditches. (Tomo-chan has disappearing powers!) When sunset came around, I had to go home, so I asked Fuko to come to my house. She said she had to continue her long journey, but she would visit for a short while. (Fuko has her reasons.)

I told Fuko I was writing letters to Papa, and she asked me who Papa was. I told her about Papa, how kind he was, how tired he was when came home, and how much he loved Mama. Fuko seemed to understand, and wanted to help me write a letter. (Correction: Fuko felt an immense obligation to write for such a precious girl. It may trigger some relationship flags.)

I want Papa to meet Fuko and play with us. I think it would be a lot of fun, and Fuko reminds me a bit of Papa. (It's very rude for Fuko to be compared to a guy, but I'll let this slide.)

Please, Papa...get well soon. (Fuko wishes Papa the best at fighting mysterious diseases.)

* * *

EisenKoubu again~! This one's fresh hot from the writer's oven, like the first Fuko letter was. Fuko knows a few more complicated words than Tomo does, so I felt she should help write this time.

For the three(?) people who decided to read Tomoyo After before CLANNAD, let me explain something. In CLANNAD, Fuko refers to herself in the third person, so all those comments you see are her own. Just clearing up some potential confusion here.

Not only that, I tried to introduce a side of her personality that wasn't touched upon in CLANNAD, but brought up in the Side Stories. It seems Fuko is a bit of a media junkie, and she seems like the kind of person who would try to spout out memes for no reason. I loved this aspect of her, so I incorporated it into this letter. Now, I'm not sure if Fuko's actually played EarthBound or any dating sims, but I think it's funny~ XD

(I didn't mention this in the previous Fuko letter, but the ability to summon her via starfish was also introduced in Side Stories. Makes me wonder if the story that came from is canon in the Tomoyo After timeline...although that would also mean the Baseball ending of CLANNAD is canon as well. Go Furukawa Bakers~! :D )

Thanks for reading so far! There's more letters coming soon, so please be patient. :)


	9. November 22nd

To Papa

XX ~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~ XX-XXX

Papa, it's me, Tomo! I had a fun day at school. Let me tell you all about it.

Sensei was teaching me and Fuko about numbers, when Fuko asked a question. It was a very strange question, and I can't remember what it was. The teacher made a funny face, and then she continued with her lesson.

Later, Fuko asked another question, but Sensei didn't answer and just kept teaching. I wondered if something was wrong with Fuko. Later, Fuko asked a third question, and Sensei turned around and screamed at her. It was frightening, and I felt like crying. Fuko tried to defend me, and Sensei just stood there. She didn't do anything, and I kept crying while Fuko tried to calm me down.

When I stopped crying, Sensei had left. I wondered where she could have gone, but Fuko told me not to bother because she was 'acting very rude'. I knew that wasn't true. Sensei was kind and helpful, and she loved teaching. It wasn't like her to just stop teaching. I had to find her and get her to come back.

I found her in the middle of the forest pathway, crying. It wasn't like Sensei to cry, so I asked her what was wrong. Sensei just kept crying. I hated seeing her sad, but I didn't know what to do to help her. I remembered Mama telling me that sometimes people just need someone to be with them. So, I walked up next to Sensei, and hugged her.

She stopped crying after that. Then, she knelt down and hugged me, too. We stayed there, crying and hugging each other for a while, until it got dark. I knew my real Mama would get worried if I stayed here too long, so I told Sensei we needed to go back. She agreed, and we walked back.

I feel like I'm growing closer to the people in this village every day, just like Papa and Mama and Onee-chan did. I want to help them keep smiling. I like it when people love each other as much as Papa and Mama do, so I want Sensei and Fuko to make up as well. And then, I want Papa and Mama to come here and see all the hard work I did. That will really make them happy.

Please, Papa...get well soon.

* * *

EisenKoubu here again. It's been too long since I posted one of these. I've been pretty busy with stuff like schoolwork, Umineko, and my next top-secret fanfiction project. Honestly, if people in Kazamatsuri weren't motivating me to do another one of these, it'd probably be Christmas before I wrote another one of these... ^^;

So I recently got off a creative high in my aforementioned fanfiction, and I think part of the idea from that got onto here. I like spending a lot of time creating characters and giving them reasons to exist in the worlds I create, and I felt Tomo's teacher needed some small character arc of her own. I think it helps further Tomo's own goal to ensure no one gets angry and breaks apart like her biological parents did, which was part of her whole schtick in the original game. Not that you need to be told that if you actually read it... ^^;

Anyway, I don't know when the next one is coming, but hopefully it won't take as long to write this time! Thank you guys for your patience, and please look forward to the next letter! :D

(Also, just a tangent here, but I found AIR's soundtrack to work pretty well when writing this letter. It really is a beautiful soundtrack, although I think it works better in the context of AIR. You all should read AIR while waiting for the next letter to come ou- ) _gets pulled offstage for shameless plugging_


	10. November 29th

To Papa

XX ~~~~~~~~

~~~~~ XX-XXX

Papa, it's me, Tomo! It's getting really cold where I'm at now. Are Papa and Mama keeping warm where they are?

The leaves are turning pretty colors and falling off the trees. Fuko tells me it is caused by an intense cold magic caused by a man named General Winter. He has strong people by his side and plans to conquer all of Japan during winter. It makes me scared for Mama and Papa, as well as my real Mama.

Fuko and I went to ask around for things to use as armor against General Winter. I got some big pants and a small cooking pot as a helmet, while Fuko got an elegant black dress and a pointy straw hat. She started calling herself a witch, and threw her starfish to show off her magic. She sent me to go get it back, and when I gave it to her, she called me a familiar. I wonder what that means?

I asked Fuko when General Winter would be coming, and she said "he's already here". I got even more scared, but Fuko told me she would protect me. Fuko sounded so cool saying that, I put my trust in her. We waited outside for a while for General Winter, until it got dark outside.

I told Caretaker-san about General Winter, and she told me that he didn't exist. But I still believe General Winter is coming for us all. Papa believes it too, right?

Please, Papa...get well soon.

* * *

EisenKoubu again. Writing this letter reminded me of Sgt. Frog, which was where I first heard the concept of General Winter. I thought it would add something endearing to Tomo and Fuko's friendship, since that's really what this whole letter is about.

I'm not entirely sure myself if Fuko is simply toying around with Tomo's innocence, or if she truly believes General Winter exists as a person. That sort of uncertainty is what makes Tomo curious in the end, so I'm certain she's willing to believe in General Winter for a while. Sounds kinda like the Great Pumpkin from the Peanuts specials. Speaking of which, Halloween's pretty close. I feel as if I understand how Tomo feels as the seasons are slowly changing and the air is growing colder. :D

Anyway, isn't it incredible that this is Tomo's tenth letter? I want to thank you all for reading them, since I probably wouldn't have written this far without everyone's positive feedback. Let's see if I can aim for twenty letters! ^o^/


	11. December 6th

To Papa

XX ~~~~~~~~

~~~~~ XX-XXX

Papa, it's me, Tomo! It's really cold out here, so I have to wear a coat all day. My hands are too cold for me to write, so my letter is short today. I hope it gets warmer soon...

Fuko and I couldn't beat General Winter. He is very fast and strong. Caretaker-san told us to come inside, and gave us a warm drink. It tasted sweet.

Sometimes I wish Mama was here, so I could sleep better. It just doesn't feel the same without Mama and Papa here. My real Mama can't wake up often enough to play with me, so it feels really cold and lonely at night.

Please, Papa...get well soon.

* * *

Hello, EisenKoubu again! Short letter today, but that's because I'm still kinda busy and my other project's taking priority. We're coming close to a turning point for the story, though. Please look forward to it! ^^


	12. December 13th

To Papa

XX ~~~~~~~~

~~~~~ XX-XXX

Papa, it's me, Tomo! Mama came back, and she said I can come visit for Christmas soon! I'm so excited~!

My real Mama sleeps a lot now, and she feels cold when I touch her. Whenever she does wake up, she says she does not feel good. I feel sad for her, even though Caretaker-san is doing all she can to help. I can't wait to meet Papa, though. He will help my real Mama.

I want to take Fuko-chan with me so we can celebrate together. She is very excited to see Papa, as we talk about him all the time. She says she has something to show Papa. I wonder what it is?

Mama said Papa is still sick, but I can't wait for Papa to get better. I have a feeling this Christmas will be very fun with everyone around. Maybe Onii-chan and Onee-chan will be there, too!

Please, Papa...get well soon.

* * *

We finally made it, guys! This is the end of Tomo's letters before she meets Tomoya for the first time since she came to the village. It's a pretty tense moment, as Tomo technically doesn't know that Tomoya has cerebral hematoma, so who knows what her reaction is going to be? :D

There won't be another letter next time I post, but rather an intermission of sorts. It will serve as an account of Tomo's visit to the hospital Tomoya is at, but also a catalyst for change in Tomo's character. I can't say the road to this point wasn't bumpy, but it certainly was an interesting experiment for me. Nevertheless, all good things must come to an end soon, right?

...Right? ^^; ← (Obviously wants to finish this story quickly so he can move on to his pet project)


End file.
